House of roots and ruin by Erin A. Craig

Early on in this Gothic fantasy world, we discover that 18 year-old Verity has a special gift; she can see and converse with ghosts, not necessarily distinguishing them from real flesh and blood. This sets the scene for a story where the reader holds back a little from investing fully in Verity’s account of her experiences, never quite sure whether what she is describing can be completely trusted. It makes for an intriguing twist-turning mystery.

Wanting to free herself from her older sister’s over-protective hold on her, Verity flees her home at Highmoor to pursue a position as portrait painter to a distinguished Bloem family; her subject the handsome wheelchair-bound Alexander, heir to the estate. But perhaps not everything is as it seems. Alex’s father, Gerard, seems obsessed with his genetic manipulation of plants, including plant poisons, while Alex’s mother Dauphine, though welcoming Verity, is the absolute mistress of polite decorum that might mask a dangerous will of her own. The mansion is full of mysterious dark passages, the night is pierced by shrieking cries, shadowy figures pass in the hallways, and there even seems to be another figure very much sharing a likeness to Alex, but free of his chair.

I could not put this book down, not because of the usual author’s artifice of short chapters with cliff-hanging endings, but because the whole premise was so intriguing: I was drawn to the mystery of determining what was real and what was not. The pace quickens towards the end, as the danger mounts, and Verity starts to work out who the evil actors really are. No spoilers, but the spine-chilling ending is absolutely brilliant! I loved it! I can highly recommend this book for readers of Gothic fantasy, and look forward to reading anything else Craig goes on to write.

Themes: Gothic thriller, Mystery, Ghosts, Botany, Genetic modification, Deception.

Helen Eddy